Love Never Dies
by dreamyhoney
Summary: diseases fly faster than rumour in a hospital...but what happens when you cant do anything about it? merder centric...rated M for strong language...
1. Chapter 1

"You're going where?" Meredith had a look of shock and bewilderment.

"I'm going to India for a month." Derek had a look of grief mixed with happiness.

"Why are you going to India? I mean that's so far away."

"I know Mer, but the thing is I've always had this dream to do something more with my life."

"I don't understand. So what you're saying is being the top neurosurgeon and married to me is not good enough for you?"

"NO! That's not what it is at all. I love what I do and I love you, more than anything."

"Then why are you doing this Derek?"

"I've always had this dream of going to a less developed nation and working there for some time, just to make a difference to someone that needs help, other than mostly rich people. I'll only be gone for a month. I just need to do this- for me." Derek's look was pleading now.

Meredith wanted to scream, kick, do anything to stop him from going but she couldn't argue with that reason. And so she said with a heavy heart, "Ok Derek. You can go, but please come back home to me. I need you."

"I promise Meredith and thank you for letting me do this." He gave a small smile, which she returned.

After a few moments of silence Meredith tentatively asked, "So when do you leave?"

"I leave tomorrow morning at nine."

That's when Meredith realized that he really was going and tears started to fall.

"Hey…hey I promise I'll come back safe and sound. But please don't cry Mer- it breaks my heart to see you like this. I love you and I will never leave you. It's going to be alright. We'll see each other in a month ok?"

"Yeah I know Derek. It's just I'm really going to miss you."

He lifted her chin up and said, "I know. I'm going to miss you terribly too. But a month will go by quicker than you think." He looked at her for some sort of a reassurance. He got one. She gave him a genuine smile. Inside she felt like she was tearing up….

"Last call for the American Airlines flight from Seattle to London. Last call."

"Well that's my flight Mer. I got to go. I'll see you in one month ok? And I promise I'll call you as soon as I reach London, ok?"

"Yeah Derek. I miss you already and I love you so much."

"I miss you too…..and I love you thousands of snicker bars…."

She smiled at the memory of his 'I love you.' "Have a safe trip and be careful."

"I will I promise. Bye Meredith."

"Bye Derek."

Derek gave her one last caress on the cheek and one last passionate kiss good-bye and then left, leaving Meredith alone for the next month. She really hoped he would be safe because although she didn't tell him she had an awful feeling in her stomach that something, something bad would happen over the next month.

It had been just two days since Derek left for India and Meredith was miserable. It felt like it had been more like 2 decades since Derek left. She was still working in the hospital, even though the chief offered to give her a leave. The truth was she couldn't stand being in the house all by herself. She was a neuro-attending now. In fact she and Derek were co-heads of neuro-surgery at Seattle Grace. Meredith was already becoming famous just like her mother. George was a general surgeon; Christina was a cardio-thoracic attending; Izzie had picked OB/GYN; and Alex was in plastics. Meredith was known as Nazi II among most people for her no-nonsense, and a bit harsh attitude. Still, most people respected and even loved her; of course nobody told her that except Derek and some of her friends. When Meredith performed surgery, it was simply beautiful to watch. She was graceful, deft, and just amazing to watch. But now since she was in almost extreme depression, her surgeries were less beautiful. She wasn't screwing up or even being sloppy, but there wasn't that same amazement and rush even to her. It was just dull and routine. Moreover, she had lost her 'bright and shininess' and was even more harsh, temperamental and just depressed, than usual. Not seeing Derek for even just a month was pure torture for her, and everybody knew that. Not even being called Dr. Shepherd cheered her up; on the contrary it just made her feel even more depressed since they had just gotten married a couple of months ago and now they were already apart, in a sense. _Where was the staying in sickness and in health part? _

Meredith had just finished successfully removing an aggressive brain tumor from a young teacher. When she looked at the board, she realized she didn't have anymore surgeries for the night. Since none of her friends were in the same position, she decided to go to this new bar, a few blocks away, for a drink. She needed tequila desperately and didn't feel like going to Joe's since he would want to talk about her. So she changed out of her scrubs and gathered her things, leaving a note for her friends and left the hospital.

The bar was called Blue Spirit Bar and was supposedly good. As soon as Meredith entered the bar, she felt a certain kind of peace. The smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke was intoxicating and a little bit calming. She went to the front and sat down.

"You look like you need a serious drink and I'm thinking shots."

"You would be correct. One tequila shot please and keep them coming."

Ten minutes later, Meredith had downed 10 tequila shots and she wasn't even fazed.

"Are you sure you don't want to take it easy?"

"Nope. My life is crappy right now and the only way I know how to deal with that is to drink lots and lots of tequila."

One more shot later, Meredith heard a man's voice say, "Jake, next one's on me, alright?"

He then turned to her and said, "Hey! I'm Peter."

Meredith looked at him rather incredulously but still said, "Hi! I'm Meredith." He was kind of good-looking. He had brown hair and hazel eyes and a nice body.

"So Meredith, what brings you here?"

"Like I already said, my crappy life. And you?"

"Yeah same." They both share a light laugh.

Another ten minutes later, Meredith is well on her way to becoming drunk, while Peter is still completely sober. Meredith couldn't stop laughing as Peter tries to place his hand on her thigh, when she says, "Excuse me….I need to use the ladies.'"

Peter gestures with his hand as he said with a charming smile, "Go right ahead. I'll still be here when you return."

When Meredith returns they resume their drunken conversation. However Meredith didn't realize that when she left for those few minutes, Peter had slipped a drug- a date-rape drug- into one of her many tequila shots that she inevitably downed. The last thing Meredith remembered was Peter telling her that he has a thing for ferryboats, before things went really hazy and then pitch black.


	2. Chapter 2

Meredith could feel the bright and painful sunlight on her face. She squinted and gently opened her eyes with some difficulty. What she found confused her. She was on a wooden floor, naked. When she looked further she found that she was in someone's house that she did not recognize.

She didn't know where she was, how she got here, nothing. The last thing she remembered is some guy telling her about ferryboats. She grabbed a blanket from the nearby couch and wrapped herself in it. When she tried to get up from her lying position that's when she realized things

were horribly wrong. First of all it was excruciating to get up. She had a killer hangover from last night probably. Then when she looked at herself in the mirror in the hall, she found that she had horrible purple-blue-black bruises all over her body, as well as painful scratch marks on her

arms and hands. When she looked further down at the lower part of her body, what she found stopped her world. She was bleeding a little bit all over near her pelvic area and lower body. She also had dried up and caked blood in the same areas. She realized that she had been raped.

Suddenly everything seemed too much. She had to get out of here. She couldn't think of anything except the word rape. When she tried to find her clothes, she found that they were mostly in tatters. Somehow she managed to clothe herself and she bolted out of the door. When she saw

the outside she realized that she kind of knew where she was. She was a couple of blocks away from the hospital. Knowing this gave her a small relief. She realized she needed to get checked for rape and everything. She really didn't want to do this at Seattle Grace but seeing as she was

in no state to go anywhere else, she had no choice but to go there. And so with a lot of pain and a limp she managed to walk herself those few blocks to the hospital.

* * *

Since she had been here for a long time, she knows her way around and slips past some people through the back stairs. The first thing she needed to do was change into her scrubs to make her appearance look less frightening. Meredith was thankful that no one else was in the locker

room and so she hurriedly changed into her scrubs and tried to fix her hair and face, and then proceeded to the nurses' station.

"Can you please page Dr. Addison Sloan for me?" She was glad that she and Addie were good friends now , granted after a long time, even though they had all that crap happen to them.

"Right away, Dr. Shepherd."

"Thank you."

Five minutes later, Addison came towards Meredith, in all her designer glory. But the smile on her face vanished when she saw Meredith- the fear in her eyes and her appearance. She looked like she had been run over.

"Oh my god, Mer! You look awful. Are you ok?"

"Can we just step into a room please? I need your help desperately."

"Sure Mer." Addie guided Mer into an empty exam room.

"Ok what happened Meredith?"

"Addie….I-I.." Meredith started to break down. She was about to collapse but Addison caught her.

"Sshh….it's going to be fine, Mer. Just tell me what's wrong. I will do whatever I can to help you."

"Addie….I think….I was raped." Meredith started to cry again. The word rape hung in the air, it wasn't going away.

Addison heard the word but it wasn't exactly registering. Her face fell and she looked just shocked. She regained her voice and said with compassion, "Oh, Mer. Well I'm going to help you ok?"

Meredith just nodded.

"First I want you to get registered as a patient, ok?"

"NO! Then everyone will know."

"Meredith listen to me. Everyone will find out eventually but I can't do anything if you're not a patient ok?"

Meredith sighed in defeat.

"Then we are going to get you into a hospital gown and hook you up to an IV. You need something to counter your weakness. Then we are going to perform a rape kit, including a drug test. We're going to test you for STDs and then we're going to give you a morning after pill to make

sure you don't get pregnant. We're also going to give you something for your hangover."

Meredith gave her a grateful smile at this.

"Then you're going to sleep and when you wake up, we'll deal with anything that comes up, including telling Derek and everybody else, ok?"

"Thanks a lot, Addie."

"Your welcome Meredith. Now come on. Let's get you into a proper room." Addie said as she helped Meredith up from the floor and out the exam room.

* * *

Two hours later, Meredith had taken all the tests and was now peacefully resting in her bed. Meanwhile, Addie was just getting back her results. When she looked at one of the tests, she gasped in fear and sorrow, but mostly shock. This wasn't going to be easy, at all. 


End file.
